Reversing Ghoulification
by NukalurkCakes
Summary: "He is Charon first and a person second. Never was he just a ghoul to me. He was the only person who hated that side of him, well him and assholes like you." She hears a rumor of an abandoned city outside of the wastes with a scientist who finds a cure for ghoulification. Now her and Charon make the ultimate decision that could change his life forever. (Charon, F!LW)
1. Bordered by Mountains

**Disclaimer: Obviously don't own squat. Not even this lovely game or the characters spoken about. I got this idea while taking a shower. I stubbed my toe and was sitting on the ground with my forehead on the wall as the water pelted me. Than this came to me. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Leave a review cos' I can't judge my own writing!**

* * *

She heard rumors. She _only_ ever heard rumors and the more she looked at the ghoul next to her made the interest in those rumors peak.

Reversing the affects of ghoulification.

Sounded impossible right? But the rumors wouldn't be there if someone hadn't thought it possible.

She knew better than to gossip but this rumor hit home for her and she couldn't help thinking if it was possible.

The rumors spoke of a place outside of the Capitol Wastes in an abandoned city filled with creatures and enemies no one has ever faced before. Somewhere among the inhabitants that seemed to thrive there was a scientist who's name was not spoken, working on reversing the affects of ghoulification and somehow found a cure, if you could call it that.

She never thought becoming a ghoul was a disease anymore than getting sunburned was but people had a different outlook on the issue, especially the ghouls themselves. Reversing the affects would not only bring their lives back but would help them immigrate back into society which was what she wanted for everyone.

The more she thought of it the more she wanted to find out if it was true and having the person she cherished most be a ghoul only simplified her decision.

She looked over at Charon. "Hey. Have you ever left the Capitol Wastes?"

He looked up from cleaning his shot gun. "Almost. One of my previous employers had a job on the border but crossing was near impossible. Why?

"Just thinking" She leaned back into her chair.

He set down the shot gun and raised what was left of his eyebrow. "Thinking has never been your strong suit."

She threw a pillow at him and he chuckled catching it and setting it down on his bed.

She smiled back at him. "You're such a jerk!" She threatened to throw another pillow and his hand shot up in response but she just clutched it to her chest and laid her head on it looking at the ghoul who stared back.

They did this a lot, just stared at each other for a few minutes before going back to whatever they were doing prior. He had been under her employment for nearly two years now and in the time they grew closer. He was able to say whatever he wanted and do whatever he wanted without any obligation and he was truly happy for the first time in his very long life.

"What if I told you I knew a way out." She clung tighter to the pillow. "Would you want to check it out?"

He looked up for a moment in thought. "It wouldn't hurt. I guess I've always been curious."

She smiled and tossed the pillow in his direction knowing he wasn't prepared for it and it hit directly on his face before falling into his arms.

"Oh you're going to get it now." He growled and she shot up from her chair giggling as she ran down the stairs.

He quickly caught up to her loving the little shriek she gave when he lifted her over his shoulder and placed his hand just below her butt.

"Oh no, I've been caught!" She lightly pounded on his back with her fists and he dropped her on her big bed in the living room and put his hands on either side of her face on the bed.

She smiled up at him as she grabbed his arm and he couldn't help the smile that spread to his face. They stayed like that for a couple minutes before he stood up and made his way over to the Nukacola machine tossing her a cold drink when she sat up and pulled a quantum out for him.

She flipped open her Pipboy as she finished her soda and scanned her way over to the spot the people told her was the opening of the Capitol Wastes. They had told her it was a tight squeeze but if they didn't pack anything bulkier than her bodyguard they'd be fine.

The abandoned town wasn't far from the opening but it was far enough for them to get a lay of the land and the creatures that dwell beyond. Who knew if they were worse or harmless but they would find out come tomorrow.

"I was thinking we could leave tomorrow. We would make it to the border about this time and we could spend one last night in the Capitol Wastes before using all our energy on whatever lay outside." She looked up from her Pipboy at Charon.

"That shouldn't be a problem. Do you know where you're going?"

"Yeah I have it mapped on here. Cool thing is if there are any places with large quantities of life this bad boy will mark it once we step foot outside. That way we aren't wondering around aimlessly." She smiled at him and he walked over to her. Her heart skipped a beat when he bent down and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

"Okay. I'll wake you up in the morning." He said smiling down at her and then he walked up the stairs to his spare room leaving her with pink cheeks and a goofy smile.

* * *

They took minimal breaks as they continued to trek through the wastes heading towards the mountains. She could tell with each step he was growing more skeptical and she had to smile at his questioning face when they were met with a mountain that didn't look cross-able. It towered over them and even made Charon feel small.

He watched as she walked over to the mountain and began touching the rock formation with her dirty fingers and smiled widely when she found what she was looking for. She turned around looking at him and took one step back before taking another step to the left and disappeared. He was shocked at first but saw her little fingers wrap around the edge of the rock and poke her little head out with that gleam in her eyes he just loved.

He walked over to see the optical illusion up close. The mound was connected to one side of the mountain while the other had a little opening that anyone could walk through. From a distance it would've looked just like a big hunk of rock protruding from the mountain in the naturally formed way rocks did. It was brilliant.

"How did you know about this?" He said poking his head in to look inside.

"I heard rumors both in and out of the vault. One day I just finally built up the courage to ask someone to show me where it was. It was always mapped out on my Pipboy but I never had the nerve to check it out. It's cool huh?" She said touching the wall and turning to face him with that bright smile of hers.

"It's definitely something." He said in awe as he looked up. "Let's set up camp, it's getting dark sooner than I expected."

"Okay."

They both sat around the fire eating their Mirelurk on a stick listening to the silence of the Wastes. He broke the silence first.

"I wonder what's out there." He said motioning to the mountains.

"Hopefully nothing terribly dangerous." She said poking the fire with the end of a baseball bat.

"If there is anything out there, don't do anything stupid."

She chuckled. "You got it boss."

He smiled at that. He glanced at her as she lifted the baseball out of the flames just as the end caught on fire. She pulled it up to her face and watched it slowly die and put her hand over the smoke as it swirled above it.

"Still warm.." She spoke quietly and he grinned looking back down towards his shot gun.

"What?"

He turned to look at her and saw her staring at him now. "What?" He mimicked.

"Why are you smiling?" She asked pulling her knees to her chest and resting her arms on them.

"Nothing." He said turning his attention back to his shot gun.

She thought about it for a second before dropping it. She stood up and watched over to her make shift bed laying her head down on her bag.

"Goodnight, Charon." She said with closed eyes.

"Goodnight." He grinned again.


	2. The City of Scientists

When he woke her it was just turning morning and he had told her he wanted to watch the sunset with her. It didn't happen exactly like that but she knew what he was trying to get at.

They packed up their gear and started their way through the inside of the Mountain.

"God when they said it was a tight squeeze they really meant it." She gasped rubbing her stomach.

She looked over to the ghoul who was helplessly trying to get out of the mountain but his big body wouldn't let him through. He growled loudly before giving her a defeated look and she walked over to put her hand on his arms.

"It's okay, just calm down." She rubbed circles with her thumbs.

"Easy for you to say. You're not the one stuck in a Mountain!" He tugged again. "I think I'm caught on something and I can't reach it."

"Try going back in and seeing if you can get un-stuck."

She watched as he pushed himself back in slightly and look over his body to see where he was being stopped.

"Here just give me all the equipment you have on." She said wriggling her fingers.

He handed her his shot gun and bag raising one arm over his head to grab onto it with the other arm and handing it to her.

"Okay now try coming this way again." She said slipping out of the whole and back onto the other side.

He shimmied his way and felt himself get stuck again. "I think it's my armor." He said not looking at her as he tried to move his hand on the fabric getting stuck.

"Well...Take off..your armor."

He looked at her wide eyed and her eyes weren't looking at him and her cheeks were burning red.

"There's got to be another way." He said shimmying back to where there was more space.

"Charon I really..don't think there is. Just..I won't look okay? Just hurry up and take your damn clothes off." She was looking at him with a stern expression but her cheeks were still bright red.

He gulped but started to unclasp his buttons and swiftly pulled his top off. He looked at her and she was staring mouth open and wide eyed.

He coughed. "I thought you weren't going to look?"

She gave a little squeak and turned around burring her face in her hands. "Oh my god Charon I'm so sorry!" She said horrified.

He gave a nervous chuckle and said it was alright and slowly took his pants off letting them fall to the ground before bending sideways to pick them up.

He shimmied back towards the exit and placed his hand on her shoulder pushing her off to the side as she kept her face buried in her hands. With a little tug and exhale of his breath he was able to squeeze out and quickly began to dress seeing his little smooth-skin look from between her fingers.

"Okay. I'm done." He said swinging the shot gun over his shoulder.

She let her hands drop to her sides and the look on her face was absolutely priceless. He didn't think anyone could get that red. Her eyes though were half closed and her mouth open as she stared at him and it made his heart stop. He knew what that look suggested and he quickly avoided it by throwing her bag at her. She grabbed it and it seemed to snap her out of her daze as she fumbled to not let it drop.

"So anywhere nice pop up on that 'Bad boy' of yours?" He asked as he looked around.

The place wasn't anything spectacular but it was far better than the wastes. It smelled better that was for sure. From what he could see there were no enemies nearby but off in the distance he did see the skyline of some buildings.

She walked up and pointed in the direction he was looking. "Over there is a town or a city. I guess we could head there first." She said looking at Charon for confirmation.

"Let's go then." He said walking ahead of her.

* * *

"God this place is freezing!" She said through clattered teeth.

"Keep it down we still don't know whats out here." He said eyes darting around them.

She puffed out her bottom lip and he threw one of his extra shirts at her which she quickly put on and smiled. He would never know it but she loved the way he smelled. It was a mixture of gunpowder and dirt and she couldn't help but find it addictive and maybe even a little sexy.

He ignored her cute smile and continued to look around. They were maybe a mile form the city and the closer they got the more the temperature would drop to the point where they could see their breath. They hadn't run into anything dangerous but the life markers that shown on her Pipboy were in the city so maybe that's where things would get tough.

"Welcome to hell. Well that's inviting." She read out one of the signs on the road.

Charon grumbled and didn't like the feeling in the pit of his stomach. "I think we should turn back." He suggested.

"NO!" she yelled, panic filling her until she saw Charon's confused expression. "I mean..why don't we just go in a little further? I doubt it anything we can't handle." She said giving him a sheepish smile.

"What do you know?" He said walking over to her eyeing her.

"Uh..what to do you mean? I just really want to check out this place." She avoided his eyes.

He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. "What. Are. You. Hiding?"

"Nothing, Charon." She whispered. She couldn't tell him the real reason why she wanted to come here and they had come so far.

He sighed before letting go of her face. "Fine. We'll continue but if something goes wrong I want you to run as fast as you can back toward the Capitol Wasteland."

She breathed a sigh of relief as they entered the city.

The place resembled the D.C ruins in the fact that there were tall building and everything was completely destroyed. They maneuvered over rubble and scanned the place for anything useful or interesting and when she didn't find any clue of a crazy scientist she huffed and sat down on a rock crossing her arms.

"You wanna tell me why we came all the way out here now?" He said taking his own seat.

She looked at him through furious eyes and opened her mouth before shutting it again trying to think of what to say. When she finally figured what she was going to tell him they heard a loud voice that surrounded the entire place.

 _ **"Don't move. Stay where you are and we won't shoot you."**_

The voice was loud and seemed to be coming in every direction of them. Charon cursed under his breath and held the shot gun close to himself.

 ** _"Why have you come this far out?"_** Said the voice again.

She stood up and felt Charon tug her back down into his arms and she struggled in his grip.

"WE'RE HERE BECAUSE I HEARD THERE WAS A MAN WHO COULD REVERSE THE AFFECTS OF GHOULIFICATION!" She yelled out and Charon's grip on her loosened and she stood up again.

"what?" Charon said quietly shocked at what she just said.

"IF IT WAS JUST A RUMOR WE'LL BE ON OUR WAY. WE WON'T CAUSE YOU ANY TROUBLE!"

"what did..you say?" Charon tugged on her arm lightly still dazed and she just scanned the area.

 ** _"I'm sending someone down to speak with you. Don't do anything funny."_**

She knelt down beside Charon who was still looking confused and she cupped her hands to his face. "Charon it's okay. Calm down."

"what?" He asked again quietly not looking at her.

 _"Excuse me?"_

She turned to look at a man who was standing before them holding his weapon out.

"Um..hello." She said still holding onto Charon's face.

 _"I would like you to follow me please."_ He turned and began to walk away.

"Wait! She scrambled to get Charon to his feet and with one hand around him she went after the man."

* * *

They were lead down a series of corridors all the while the man spoke of what the people here were doing here. Charon had eventually knocked himself out of his daze but kept a stern face looking at the ground the entire time they walked.

Every person was a scientist at one point and when the shit hit the fan most of them found there way into this city and repopulated teaching everything they knew to children. Because the city was so devastated above ground they moved below to start over and everything worked out fine for them. They found a way to pump gallons of purified water from further underground and were able to start growing crops and breeding the animals for their meat supply. It seemed all too surreal to her but she kept walking.

They were lead into a building made solely of metal and asked to wait for the doctor to come and assess the situation. Once behind closed doors Charon pinned her to the wall with his entire body and forced his intense milky blue eyes to her own soft ones.

He was breathing heavy but he couldn't tell if it was anger or if he was just expecting something from her. They never broke eye contact and he could feel himself calming down as she rubbed soft hands on his arms. He eventually leaned in and nuzzled into her neck still pinning her to the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He finally asked.

"They were just rumors. I didn't want you expecting something and have it not be here." She said in a soothing voice.

"We still don't know anything yet." He said

"I know but it was worth a shot."

He was about to say something else but pulled away when he heard the door open.

A man with a lab coat on and thick glasses walked in and smiled wildly at the two people in front of him.

"WOW!" He said walking up to Charon. "You really are big!" He said smile growing.

Charon growled and the doctor backed off pulling a chair up and sitting in it.

"So." He began. "You're interested in my work I hear."


	3. The Wounded Tiger

**Authors Note: I just wanted to say thank you to the guest that reviewed this story. I got the email way early in the morning and nearly screamed! You were my first review and I'll never forget it!**

 **Alright on with the show...**

* * *

It all seemed simple in a I'm-not-a-scientist kind of way but I could tell Charon was engrossed in everything the Doctor was saying.

"In order for something like this to work we need two subjects. One obviously a ghoul and the other needs to be a person with normal skin which is where you would come in." He pointed at the girl then turned back to the both of them. "When the transfusion is complete your skin will begin to grow back in patches before fully covering your body head to toe. There are some things that never grow back such as fingernails or hair and the milky coloring in the eyes seems to stay as well but the fact is you'll look like a person again with super skin.

"Wait, what do you mean by super skin?" She asked.

"Well since his skin will not only be a genetic copy of yours but chemically formed to his old skin which gives it the ability to heal over itself with minimal scarring and radiation will have no affect on him. It's just a side affect really."

"A side affect?" She scoffed. "That's fucking amazing. Will anything bad happen to me?" She asked leaning back into her chair and stealing a look over at Charon who was looking at the ground jaws clenched. She reached over and touched his arm and he looked at her giving her a nervous smile which she returned.

"Not if you rest in the after stages. We're just copying your skin and taking the fibers so that it is possible to replicate it onto his body but the chemicals we use could be harmful if you do any strenuous activities. After a good couple days of doing nothing you should be exactly how you are now give or take a few dizzy spells." He finished with a smile. It was dark in the room but she could tell her was smiling from the dim light in front of her.

"How do you know this works anyway?" She asked looking at the Doctor.

He leaned in towards the light and she gasped at his milky eyes and... _skin_.

"I'm still here aren't I?" He said smiling showing a perfect set of teeth. "Now I'm fully prepared to help you. I was my only subject and because I wasn't there I couldn't keep track of vitals so all I ask is you let me do that." He stood up from his chair grabbing the clipboard he brought it from the desk. "I will tell you this though. It hurts, a lot."

"Okay, can you give us just a minutes?" She asked looking up at him.

"Of course! I'll be in the cafeteria just ask someone and they'll find me." He said as he walked out the door shutting it behind him.

She got up from her own seat and knelt in front of Charon putting her hands on his face.

"You okay?" She asked gently rubbing underneath his eyes.

"It's just a shock." He said closing his eyes and placing one of his hands on hers.

"I want to do this for you."

"He said it hurts and I couldn't live with myself knowing it was me that caused it." He looked down again.

"It won't be you, Charon. It's my choice and I want to do this for you. Please let me do this." She leaned in to where they were inches from each others face and she could feel him tense up.

They stared into each others eyes before he gave a sigh. "Okay." He said quietly.

It hurt her to hear him sound so weak but she smiled and kissed his cheek lightly before standing up and walking over to the door. A hand reached up and grabbed hers before she could leave and he pulled her down capturing her lips with his. She didn't reciprocate at first but the more she realized what happened the more she moved in his arms to better connect them.

When they broke the kiss he spoke first. "If the pain is too unbearable you tell them to stop. Don't think of me, think of yourself."

She smiled at him and gave him another soft kiss which he growled at but reluctantly let her go to find the Doctor.

She asked the first person she saw and they said they would call for him. She walked back to the room and sat down on the chair beside Charon.

"And now we wait."

* * *

When the doctor came he instructed them to follow him down more corridors and they were brought into a room with computers set up everywhere. It was small but one side of the room was made completely out of glass and as she looked through she saw a giant room that was clear of everything but a large tank and the wired hooked up to it.

"So this is the control room, I will be monitoring your vitals and keeping in touch with you when you're inside. First things first follow this gentleman down to that room and he'll tell you everything you need to do to get ready."

"Okay, thank you." She said and Charon grumbled. He didn't like being pulled around room from room.

As they walked through the large double doors she saw the tank was a lot taller than she originally thought. It was a made entirely off glass and there was a large glass divider down the middle and at the top was what looked to be a very large shower head covering both sides. The wires that flowed in from the control room were connected to the shower head as well as some to the side reading oxygen. It wasn't very long, maybe the length of a small room but it was half the height of Tenpenny Tower and she couldn't help but feel uneasy looking at the thing.

"Okay now you're going to have to strip down." The guy they followed said and she watched his eyes glide up her body making her shiver. Charon must have saw it too because he growled furiously and the guy backed off.

She was the first to start stripping as she set her guns and bag in the box they provided and Charon followed suit albeit hesitantly. When they were completely naked she could feel the blood rush to her face and she wrapped her arms around her body shivering at the cold now touching her skin. The man opened the doors to each side of the tank and she stepped into the left side while Charon stepped through the right. He closed the doors and locked them tight and went to walk back to the control room.

They heard the sound of a speaker followed by the Doctors voice asking them to shake their head if they can hear him which they both did looking up to the glass window of the control room.

"Okay, I'm going to start the process now so don't be alarmed." He said ducking his head behind a computer and typing in some codes.

She heard the sloshing sound of water and she looked up to the shower head and backed up against the wall as water began to pour out. She looked over at Charon who had pressed himself back against the glass as well when the water poured out on his side.

"You both need to submerge yourself. This one is just water." They heard the Doctor say.

Hesitantly she stuck her arm out into the water and eventually her entire body and she gave a yelp. Charon had looked in her direction with worry in his eye and she waved at him. "It's just really cold!" She yelled not sure if he could hear her but he shook his head and submerged himself as well.

"Good, now this is just to cleanse the skin. We'll keep it like this for 10 minutes so feel free to sit down just don't leave the water." The Doctor said.

She stood for most of it but eventually sat down and brought her knees protectively to her chest. Why did she have to be naked? She looked over at Charon and he had sat down as well and was staring at her. She felt more blood rush into her face but she smiled at him instead of looking away and he smiled back turning to look at the water rushing down the drain he sat on.

The rest of the time was spent just sitting and staring down letting the water cascade around her body when she felt the water stop. She looked over to the glass window and saw the Doctor stand up to speak through the microphone.

"Okay now this serum is only going into her tank."

"Whats it going to do?" Charon spoke up.

"It's going to coat her skin and seep into it so we can pull out some of the fibers to replicate them. It should only take a couple minutes. This one will sting just a little."

She stood up placing her hand on the glass divider for support. She heard the liquid run through the pipes connected to the shower head and felt the liquid cascade down her once again.

She gritted her teeth as a slight stinging sensation filled her entire body and she balled her fists on the glass. She felt a slight bump on the glass and looked up to Charon's worried face as he pressed his hand over to where hers was. She gave him a weak smile. God she probably looked pitiful, she thought letting her head drop.

Like the doctor said, after a couple minutes the serum stopped falling and she was left shivering as the stinging began to subside.

"We have to administer the serum we collected from your tank into Charon's. And no, this won't hurt him, his skin isn't as sensitive as yours." He said looking at the girl sitting on the floor.

She pulled herself to the glass behind her and sighed as the cold pressed against her bare back as she watched the water glide down Charon's body. She could only see his back and bare rear but something about this seemed incredibly sensual and she felt a fuzzy feeling in the pit of her stomach. As quickly as the water came it disappeared and he looked over to see her staring at him.

That same expression was on her face back at the mountain but this time he had no choice but to let her look at him with lust filled eyes. The Doctor however broke her out of her intense stair with the crackling of the speaker.

"This next part...isn't going to be pretty."

"Let's just get it over with I'm starting to feel claustrophobic." She said standing up again, positioning herself under the shower head.

"I just wanted to give you a chance to stop because this is going to hurt."

"I want to do this Doc. Let's start this thing." She said motioning her hands at him to get on with it.

"Like last time, you'll be going first."

She didn't respond as she heard the liquid flowing through the pipes again. Whatever it was that was flowing around her smelled unpleasant and her arms flung to her nose in an instant. She didn't feel the pain at first but when it came it started on her shoulders and spread through her like a wild fire.

An intense burning sensation flooded her as her skin began to turn red in irritation. Each drop felt worse than the other as it touched her irritated skin and she couldn't help the cry that escaped her lips. She fell to the ground balling her fists together as she screamed in agony and she could faintly hear the banging of glass to her left.

"TURN IT OFF NOW!" She heard Charon growl and she slammed her balled fist on the glass making him jump.

He fell to his knees, wide eyed as she shook uncontrollably. Her skin had turned an intense red color and it looked like she was set aflame as he watched her slowly lift her head to look at him.

"Tell them to turn it off!" He pleaded looking into her bloodshot eyes as tears fell down them.

With all the strength she could muster she shook her head in a feeble 'No' and she cried out again as she let her hand drop and wrap around her burning body.

"Please.." She heard him say just as the liquid stopped flowing and he looked up towards the Doctor who was standing up to say something.

"That's the worst of it I promise. The last step is to give Charon the same treatment which we will begin after washing her off with water."

Charon turned his attention back on his smooth-skin who was still in the fetal position, eyes shut tight, and still shaking. He called out to her but her facial expression turned into a grimace as she tried to move. He could see blood form in little droplets from little holes all over her body.

"Is she suppose to bleed?!" Charon yelled and the doctor looked up from his computer.

"Oh yes, that's normal. It just means that the fibers we took were successfully extracted. They will grow back within a couple of hours, no need to worry." He sat back down turning his attention back to the monitor.

He couldn't help the guilt that he felt as he looked at her shaking body. When her eyes slowly opened she looked all around before resting on his face and he could see her relax a little.

"Are you okay?" He asked not knowing what else to say. She didn't respond but she gave him a small smile and closed her eyes again.

She looked horrible and the blood dripped down her body in small lines. As he looked at her he thought she resembled a Tiger, wounded from protecting her mate from hunters.


	4. Emotions

Somehow she managed to fall asleep after the chemicals left her skin numb and not on fire. She didn't even wake up when the cold water touched her skin and washed away the blood. She woke to the sound of Charon screaming and watched as he crumpled to the ground grabbing at his arms and torso.

"Fuck, Charon!" She spoke quietly and pulled herself to the glass divider lazily pounding her fist on it. "Charon, please look at me!" She begged staring at his crippling body.

She got on her knees and placed both hands on the glass pounding just a little harder. Charon still didn't make any move to look at her and she felt the familiar burn of tears as they threatened to fall down her numb face. She let her head fall as her arms still propped her on her knees against the glass.

"Charon..I'm sorry..I'm so sorry.." She whispered as the tears fell. She felt a bump on the glass and she quickly lifted her head to see hands on the opposite side touching hers and his face was eye level with hers. She placed her forehead on the glass still looking at him and he did the same with pained eyes staring back. They stayed like that until blackness surrounded her again and she crumpled to the floor out of exhaustion.

She was woken by the same man that put her in the tank and she pushed him away making him fall on his butt.

"I guess I deserved that." He said standing up wiping his pants with his wet hands. He walked out of the tank and grabbed the towel he set on the box with her equipment and walked back to the door. "Come on." He said opening the towel like she was a bull and he was the matador.

She groaned as she pushed her limbs up off the ground and into a standing position. He saw her begin to fall again so he quickly stepped back inside catching her in the towel and lifting her up bridal style.

"Geez you're a lot heavier than you look!" He said struggling to keep himself from falling as he walked out of the tank.

"Then put me the fuck down." She said anger and the need for rest obvious in her voice.

He set her down and she adjusted her towel around her body tucking the end just above her right breast. She was slow in walking and surprisingly he wasn't a complete ass about how long it was taking her to make it to the hallway but she eventually did and leaned against the wall panting.

He stood by her giving her side looks as if he wanted to say something but was too nervous or didn't know how to say it.

"What?" She said a little harsher than she planned and it made him jump a little.

"Nothing..uh...I just wanna know...did it hurt?" He said staring at her like a little kid inquisitive about the world.

She sighed and looked down at her bare feet. "It was the most painful experience I've ever had to go through. And I've been through a lot."

"Then why'd you do it? The Doctor told you it was going to hurt." He said furrowing his eyebrows.

"Because I love him." She said it as if it was obvious to everyone.

"Who, the ghoul?" He made a face of disgust when she just stared at him. "But...he's a ghoul. You're a pretty little thing you could have anyone!" He said shooting his hands up.

She glared at him. "He is Charon first and a person second. Never was he just a ghoul to me. He was the only person that hated that side of him. Well, him and assholes like you." She finished by forcing her finger in his chest pushing him a little. "Now show me to his room."

* * *

He was sleeping when she closed the door giving the man one last glare. His skin still looked irritated and red but he looked so peaceful as he slept. She gently sat on his bed and grazed one of her knuckles on his cheek and he stirred a little grumbling her name.

"Charon?" She whispered.

She thought he had woken up but he was still sound asleep and she smiled slightly knowing he was back to normal. She got up from his bed and to her bag she grabbed on her way out of the tank room. She searched through her things and pulled out a tank top and shorts and quickly changed letting the towel sink to the floor.

She walked up to his side listening to the low sounds of his low snoring and crawled over him nestling herself between him and the wall and sighing as she drifted off to sleep for the third time that day.

* * *

It was incredibly warm when he woke up. He looked around the dark room as images of what happened the previous day flooded his mind. In a panic, he sat up and looked around the room for is belongings. His eyes scanned through the dark until they settled on the towel rippled on the ground next to his smooth-skin's bag. Confusion and more panic spread through him. Why would her stuff be with him and not in her room?

"Charon?"

He spun around towards his bed and his entire body relaxed when he saw her sleepily reaching out to him rubbing her palm into her eye. He walked up to the bed and got under the covers again wrapping his arms from behind her and pulling her close to him. She sighed happily and put her arm over his arm forming to his body.

No, it wasn't ideal to love her and to be frank he tried everything he could to despise her. She was a pain in the ass more times than none and in the first couple months he wasn't confident he couldn't stop himself from snapping. What drove him over the edge was her inability to be stealthy in ANY situation.

The third month they had been together was taking it's toll on him. He wondered how some spoiled vault kid could have convinced his previous employer to give up his contract but he assumed it was pure luck and the never ending way she asked. It was night and they had set up camp in a pretty dangerous part of the Wastes but he assured her if she kept quiet nothing would happen. If anything, whatever was out there would smell his scent that overpowered hers and leave him alone because of his ghoulishness. Nothing really had a problem with ghouls.

As she took a bite of her mirelurk steak he cooked them, the howls of the vicious dogs out in the waste made her stand up with a gleam in her eye. He watched as she put her hands around her mouth and bellowed a howl of her own towards the moon. It happened in slow motion and when she looked down at him with a huge ass smile spread across her face the earth began to shake under them.

She looked around confused while he quickly grabbed their things, not bothering to put the fire out and grabbed her wrist pulling her into a sprint along with him. The shaking stopped as three deathclaw's stood around their fire sniffing the air to see where they had gone. When she saw them look in their direction she squeaked and began to run faster than he was which was incredible taking in the difference in leg length. That was the first time he heard her swear and it sounded almost funny from her gasping high pitched voice.

They had ran until the sun poked through the earth and they were safely inside an unoccupied building. She was leaning against the wall, head up towards the ceiling with closed eyes and that dumb grin spread across her face. Opening her eyes she looked at Charon who had his hands on his knees hunched over and started to laugh.

"What a rush, eh Charon!?" She exclaimed fisting the air. "I've never ran so fast in my life!"

He was in front of her in seconds backing her up against the wall. He was mad, no, enraged and she could see it and the smile quickly faded. She was against the wall as he towered over her and punched the wall by her head leaving a dent in the metal and his knuckles bloody. She winced at his actions but he didn't care.

"How could you be so reckless!?" He screamed. "How am I suppose to protect someone who puts themselves in harms way? Do you _want_ to die? Is that it? The Wastes finally prove too much for you cause I have news for you, it's not going to get easier so if you want to go get eaten by a deathclaw or shot by a Raider, be my guest just don't drag me into it!" He finished with a huff and turned away from her trying to cool down.

The silence was unbearable and as time ticked on the regret he felt for snapping filled his stomach and threatened to spill his meal.

"So he _can_ speak."

He turned around at her words, rage boiling back up until he looked at her face. She was smiling as she stood there, arms behind her back, eyes closed, and tear stained cheeks. She looked...calm. Almost understanding and... _beautiful_.

He stared at her, mouth agape as the anger fluttered away. She opened her eyes and walked towards him ignoring the flinch he gave when she touched his arm. He was expecting a beating of some sort but she just touched him. It was innocent and he couldn't bring himself to look at her face.

"Charon, I'm sorry." She said looking at his face as it slowly turned to look at her.

He sighed. "No, I should not have snapped liked that. I am sorry and understand if you wish to punish me." He said closing his eyes.

He felt her lift up his sleeve and he prepared for his punishment. What was it going to be? A knife cut? A burn? Maybe she would snap his bone over her knee? Was she strong enough for that? He waited and finally he felt a tiny pinch under his forearm. It didn't hurt, if anything it was more of an annoyance.

He looked at her confused as she held his arm in her hand with her other hand hovering over where she pinched. She looked up at him with an almost apologetic look and it confused him even more.

"That was for yelling at me." She said.

She pinched him again in a different spot.

"That's for scaring me."

Another soft pinch.

"That's for punching the wall."

She lifted his arm up to her face and placed a soft kiss where she had pinched and placed her hand over it.

"And that's for saving me." She looked up and smiled at him.

In that moment he realized two things. One, she was an idiot and he had to get used to it. Two, she was different from anyone he'd ever met. She was pure, sweet and un-scarred by the wastes.

Thinking back to that made him smile and pull her in closer to him. This was the first time they had slept in each others arms and it just felt... _right_. There was no other way to describe this. They hadn't expressed their feelings other than innocent glances and small touches and he didn't know if he would ever be able to tell her all the things running through his mind.

It was programmed into his mind not to care, at least that's what he thought. He realized now he was trained to push back emotions to be able to fulfill his duties to his employers faithfully but every moment he spent with her was slowly chipping away at the barrier that kept his mind in check. It scared him to have such strong feelings for someone and it aggravated him to be held by obligation to a contract.

What if someone got a hold of it? He knew it was near impossible because of where she hid it but it could still happen. And he would be ripped from his life, from her, to be a slave once again.

He broke from his train of thoughts to her squirming in his arms.

"Charon, you're suffocating me." She said with a giggle and tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

It just made him tighten his grip however and she settled back in his arms pulling her arms free and flipping open her Pipboy.

"It's morning. That's good. We should go see the Doctor." She said closing it and replacing her arms back on his letting out a slight yawn.

"No, you need to rest." He said on her neck making her giggle.

"Yes but I want to talk with him. I want to know about the testing we went through."

"It's important you rest. The Doctor said so." He released his grip and let her turn around to face him.

"Then can you get him for me?" She asked looking up at him. His eyes were still closed.

He seemed to think for a moment. "It would be hard to explain why you are in my room, in the same bed."

"No it wouldn't."

"Excuse me?" He said looking at her now.

She looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"You know how people feel towards ghouls. Not everyone is like you."

She sighed and turned on her back. "Charon if you don't want to be seen with me in the same bed as you just say so."

He scoffed and she looked at him with hurt in her eyes, it made his chest hurt.

"Smooth-skin that is _not_ the problem."

"I don't see a problem with us sharing a bed."

"I'm trying to protect your reputation. I don't want people to talk ill of you." He sighed loudly turning onto his back as well.

She pushed herself into a sitting position and draped her arms over his stomach looking at him with her chin on his chest. "Who cares what people say. I'm happy and from what I can tell you're happy so who cares. Nothing anyone can say will change the fact I want to be in this bed with you."

"You should care."

"But I don't."

"You should."

"Charon, shhh." She placed her ear to his chest and listened to his heart beat.

He grumbled and it vibrated off his chest onto her face and she couldn't help but giggle. She looked up to see him staring at her with sad eyes. She pushed herself up towards his face and placed her hands on his cheeks pulling him in for a small kiss.

"There are so many things I want to tell you." He said.

"We have all the time in the world." She said with a smile.

He sighed once more and lifted himself into a sitting position and she fell into his lap grinning from ear to ear.

"You should dress. I don't want the Doctor to see you this way." He said tugging on the strap of her tank top.

"Yes, sir!" She said giving him a salute and lifting herself off of him so he could stand.

He dressed himself and walked out the door leaving her to dress in peace as he searched for the Doctor.


	5. It's Like Magic

Finding the damn Doctor was a job all in it's own. This place was a giant underground ant tunnel with different winding hallways and he often found himself in places that looked like no one had been for a long time.

Sighing and rubbing his neck he turned back around and began walking towards the way he came but was stopped by a little tug to his pants. He turned around getting into his fighting stance and saw no one was behind him. He looked all around him seeing no one and eventually he settled down and began walking again.

Another slight tug came. "Excuse me..."

He heard the voice of a child whisper and he looked down to see a little girl with tear stained cheeks clutching onto his pants for dear life. He stared down at her with her staring back with sad eyes, both not knowing what to do or say.

"Mister, I'm lost.." She said looking down hugging closely to the teddy bear she had around her arm.

Mister? He was no mister. This girl shouldn't even be talking to him he's so scary looking. He'd never dealt with children before and the entire situation was making him extremely uncomfortable. He brought his leg away from the shaking girl trying to make her let go but she just clung to him further wrapping her arms around his leg and started to bawl her eyes out.

Panic filled him. What if someone saw this! They would think he was trying to eat her or something! He bent down with his hands up gently shaking them.

"No, no shhh. Stop crying." It sounded weird coming from his raspy voice but she looked up from her crying and sniffled at him.

"I lost my dad." She said clinging tighter and rubbing her snot filled face on his pants.

"I'm lost as well. You can follow me but let go of my pants." He tried to sound soothing but it came out aggravated.

She let go of leg and clutched the bear around her chest looking down at the ground.

He grumbled and began to walk back the way he came taking note of the little pit pats of her feet behind him. At times he would hear her stop and something would tell him to make sure she was still following so he would turn around and grumble loudly to get her attention.

She would always be staring at broken objects or down hallways that were pitch black before looking at him and smiling. She was annoying but she was just a kid he had to remind himself.

"Hey mister, what's your name?" She asked while they were walking back a way they came from because they got lost again.

"It doesn't matter." He said concentrating on his surroundings.

"I wanna know. Daddy always told me to stay away from strangers but if I know your name, you won't be a stranger anymore."

He looked back at her and she was hopping on the tiles on the floor with her arms outstretched and clutching her teddy's arm.

"Charon." He said.

"That's a girls name!" She exclaimed loudly and giggled.

He grumbled but continued on looking down dark hallways. Their surroundings were getting creepier than when they met and he couldn't help something wasn't right.

"My name is angelica!" She said

He didn't respond, just kept walking.

"You don't talk much." She ran up to keep up with his pace and he slowed down slightly to make it easier for her not realizing it when he did.

"There is nothing to say."

She opened her mouth to say something but a loud clanking behind them caused them both to turn around and she grabbed onto his leg to hide behind. A small metal bowl was spinning on the ground down the hallway in front of the entrance to one of the dark hallways. The dim lighting in the hallways began to flicker and she shook uncontrollably behind his leg.

He surveyed everywhere while the bowl spun around slowing down to a halt making more clanking as it lay flat on the ground. The table it fell off of moved away from the wall just slightly and he knelt down making sure not to hit the girl. He grabbed the combat knife from his boot and pushed the girl to hide against the wall they were next to.

He stood up again checking to make sure the girl was ok before slowly making his way towards the table that slowly slid from the wall. His eyes stayed firm on the moving table and as he got closer he reached out.

He grabbed onto the edge pushing it to the side towards the entrance of the hallway just in case anything jumped out and a small creature jumped off him and darted down the dark hallway screeching at the top of its lungs.

He sighed and put his knife in his pockets. Although it was something he'd never seen before it didn't try to attack him so there was no threat. He walked back to the girl who was crying again.

"It was nothing. Let's keep going." He said with no emotion.

She threw up her arms and wriggled her fingers at him with the teddy in one hand.

"Carry me." She said through sniffles.

"I don't carry children." He said and looked away form her.

She began to cry again pleading for him to carry and finally he knelt down and grabbed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he positioned her over his arm leaving one open just in case something came at them.

Most kids asked him about his looks. They said 'yuck' and told him he was ugly before running off to find their parent to tell them of the ugly monster they found. He never liked kids because of their intolerable attitude and needy-ness and this girl was needy but she didn't care with the way he looked. She never even asked him about it just calmly let him carry her. It was strange.

He could hear voices down the hall and he quickened his pace wanting to get back to his smooths-skin as soon as possible. She giggled as she gently bounced in his arms and he let his other one hold her on place so she wouldn't fall.

Just like he was running towards the voices it seemed the voices were running towards her loud giggles.

He saw several people in lab coats running towards them with relieved faces and one he recognized to be the Doctor.

"Oh my little girl!" The Doctor exclaimed with outstretched arms.

"Daddy!" She squealed, squirming in Charon's arms as they neared. This would explain why she didn't mind Charon. Her dad was a ghoul.

The Doctor scooped Angelica up in his arms hugging tight and the other scientist watched with happy faces. Some came up to Charon patting him on the shoulder saying thank you before leaving to go back to whatever they were doing. It was all so strange seeing people treat him the way they were but he remembered the Doctor used to be a ghoul so that was probably the reason.

"I told you not to wonder off, sweety." The Doctor said rubbing tears off her face. "Charon, thank you for finding her but what were you doing back there? The place is off limits."

"I got lost trying to locate you. I found her in one of the halls on my way back."

"Come. Let's go to your room and speak privately." The Doctor said shooing Angelica after the other scientists.

"Very well."

As they were walking back one question was rolling around in his mind. Ghouls are suppose to be sterile.

"Can I ask you something, Doctor?" Charon asked.

"Go ahead!"

"How long has it been sense your transformation?"

"Hmm...I think it's been 3 years now..no 4. Yes, 4 years"

"How old is Angelica?"

"Charon, I know these aren't the questions you really want to ask. Come on, out with it." The Doctor said smirking.

"Did you have Angelica as a ghoul?" Charon stopped, looking at the doctor with a serious expression.

The doctor stopped and smiled. "My experiments are a work of magic Charon."

Charon's heart began to quicken.

"My wife and I are a lot like you and that girl you brought. She loved me as a ghoul and went through the experiments. Angelica was unexpected because we never had to worry about it."

"She holds my contract. There is nothing between us." Charon stated, opening the door to his room for the doctor.

"Charon!"

He turned shocked towards his bed. He forgot she was still in here and this would go against what he just told the doctor.

"Shit." Charon said quietly.

She hopped off the bed and jumped into Charon's arms not paying attention to the doctor who pushed passed them into the room smirking at Charon's expression.

"Charon you said you were getting the doctor not leaving me here for the day!" She said glaring at him as he set her back down on the floor.

"I got held up. I'm sorry." He said touching her cheek lightly. No use in trying to hide it now he thought.

"Well he didn't totally fail!" The doctor said making her turn around startled.

"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't notice you come in!" She said blushing at what he just saw.

He shook his head and motioned for them to sit on the bed. "What is it you wanted to talk about."

Her and Charon made their way to the bed and sat down.

"I just wanted to know what we can expect to see. Like when does his skin begin to come back?"

"Well for me it took 7 months for my entire body to be covered in new skin. People's bodies are different though, it could take any amount for Charon. It might have something to do with how long you've been a ghoul or how radiated you are, I lack the experience in the testing to give you a simple answer."

"That's fine. It'll happen when it happens. Was there any other thing that changed drastically we should know about?" She asked.

"Not that I can think of that I haven't told you or Charon. I should get back though, I'm sorry to cut this short but Angelica will want to see me." He winked at Charon and then quickly left shutting the door.

Charon grumbled knowing the conversation that was coming because of that sneaky doctor.

"What was that all about? Flirting with the doctor are we?" She smiled nudging Charon in the arm. "Who's Angelica?"

"It's his daughter." He said sighing.

Her eyes went wide. "Is it...ya know. His?"

Charon chuckled. "Yes it is."

"Is it because of..."

"Yes."

"Wow." She looked off into the distance. "It'll be like you were never a ghoul, Charon."

"Yes." He sighed heavily.

"How'd you know that anyway? Is that what held you up?"

He laid back into the bed with his legs dangling off the side. "I got lost."

She scoffed and looked down at his unamused expression. "How did you get lost?"

"This place is huge. It was quite easy to get lost."

"How'd you find your way back?"

"I just kept walking. Eventually I found his daughter who got lost herself. I carried her with me."

She laughed at the image of big tough Charon holding a little innocent girl. "I wish I would've been there to see it. You probably looked so cute!" She smiled.

"She was annoying." Charon grumbled.

She laid down next to him wrapping her arm around his torso and he wrapped him arm over her shoulder. They stayed like that in a comfortable silence. Just being with one another.

"Charon I miss home." She whispered.

"When you are rested and we get the ok from the doctor we will leave."

"What if that takes day or worse, weeks!"

"It will not. I can ask him tomorrow if you want." He said pulling her in closer.

"As long as you don't get lost again." She looked at him and smiled proud of her little joke.

He chucked and gently pinched her upper arm. "Don't be mean."

She kissed his chest and nuzzled back into him.

"I wanna see Dogmeat."

"I know. You should sleep." He rubbed up and down on her arm.

"Okay." She said yawning.

He soon felt the slow rise and fall of her chest as she fell into a deep sleep.


	6. Back Home

The rest of the time spent in the underground city was filled with more cuddling and resting to get the strength back they both needed.

Charon spent most of his time clearing out the pests that took towards the 'off-limits' part of the underground tunnels while his smooth-skin spent her time stocking up supplies for when they were ready to leave and occasionally helping a scientist with little tasks. She was never one to just sit around and rest.

The first patch of skin that showed up was just along the left side of his jaw. He never looked at himself in the mirror so he would never have noticed it if she didn't run her fingers on it waking him up. Through out the day he would subconsciously run his own fingers on his new skin, relishing in the sensitivity of it. The entire idea of it still came as a shock to him and the more skin that found its way around his body and under is clothes made him feel less of a monster.

They found little information about the area they were in or further outside the Capitol wastes. Most of the people that lived underground were born there or ventured from the Capitol Wastes themselves. They hadn't planned on venturing further out but they still wanted to know just in case they came back to visit the doctor and his family and decided to adventure. Right now though all she wanted to do was get back home to Megaton.

"Do you think the doctor would let us leave today?" She asked sitting on the floor inspecting their supplies one last time.

"Maybe."

She sighed heavily and placed her hands in her lap as she scanned her all too familiar surroundings.

"I miss the stars. I feel like I'm in the vault again and I don't like it."

He never thought of it but this place does seem very vault-ish. It's underground and the whole structure is made of metal just like the early vaults were built out of. Although not every memory she had in the vault was a bad one she couldn't help the pain that found it's way into her chest.

"I think I'm going to go ask the doctor. You wanna come?" She asked turning her head to look at Charon who was still busying himself with his shot gun on his bed.

"Would you like me to come?" He asked not looking away from his work.

She stood up and walked over to him placing her hands on his arms and resting her chin on his shoulder looking down to watch his busy hands toy with the barrel of the gun.

"No, you're busy." She kissed the top of his head and walked towards the door. "I'll be back soon." And with a smile she left.

Truth be told she did want him to come with her but his gun was in pieces, scattered all over the bed. She walked along the corridors and towards the area she knew now as the cafeteria waving at the people that passed her by.

She had come acquainted with a lot of the residents here and everyone seemed to enjoy having her and Charon around. It was a nice change of pace from the over all hatred of the Capitol Wastes. The Enclave and Talon Market Company had it going for her because she was considered a beacon of hope but the only people that accepted Charon were other ghouls but even they were afraid of him.

She couldn't hate the wasteland though. It was her home and even though the place was a disaster it was incredibly beautiful to someone who was accustomed to metal walls and duplicated furniture. Some of the best times she's had were with Charon sleeping outside under the blanket of stars with just each other as company.

"Excuse me, miss."

She was brought out of her reverie when she nearly bumped into the doctor.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I actually wanted to talk to you. I wanted to know when Charon and I could leave. I'm a little home sick and there are some things I need to do back home." She said rapping her fingers behind her back.

"I was hoping you would be staying longer. We enjoy your company and Charon is such a big help."

"It's not like Charon and I wouldn't visit! You've done so much for us." She looked away from the doctor. "But it's important we head back to the Capitol Wastes."

The doctor shifted his weight on his feet looking up in deep thought. "Okay. Well it had been awhile. I guess you have the okay to leave, but you have to visit! Angelica would miss Charon."

She giggled and shook her head before heading back to Charon with a new bounce in her step. Finally we get to go home.

* * *

She walked through the crack in the mountain and set her bag on the ground. She inhaled the fresh air and let out a sigh of relief as she plopped on the ground running her fingers through the familiar sand.

She heard Charon's grunts behind her and turned her head to see him squeeze out of the mountain rubbing his chest.

"Can we set up camp here?" She asked as he knelt down across from her. He began to dig a shallow hole as his response and she grabbed her bag looking for loose pieces of paper to start a fire.

They ate in silence as the sky faded from orange to black and stars began to pop up through the clouds. She fell backwards staring up into the night sky listening to the sound of the flame crackling at her feet.

"Does it look like there are more stars than usual?" She asked Charon.

He looked up briefly before continuing his work cleaning their guns. "Looks about the same to me."

"I think there is. Looks like it anyway." She sat up and looked at Charon with a smile. "I think they missed us and came to say hi."

He smirked and shook his head slightly. "whatever you say."

She leaned back smiling to herself listening to Charon's hands work with the guns. She hadn't realized she fell asleep when she woke with Charon's leather armor draped around her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes with her palm as she scanned the area.

Charon was sitting on a rock a few feet away in his black t-shirt and leather armored pants and a cigarette in his hands. He was scratching at his chest again as he looked away from her towards the horizon.

She got up and walked over to him taking the cigarette from him to put in her own mouth and draped her arms over his neck. He stopped scratching and rubbed her arms as he took the cigarette back sighing contently.

"What's wrong with your chest." She said as she placed her chin on his shoulder.

"It just itches, nothing to worry about." He said with the cigarette in his mouth

"Can I check it just to make sure?"

"If you wish."

She leaned back walking around him and knelt down grabbing the bottom of his shirt and lifting it up. He lifted his arms and she took the shirt off setting it in his lap and placed her hand on his chest.

His entire torso was covered in skin and the places where muscle used to show had darker colored lines where the new skin connected to the old. The skin on his chest was red because of the scratching and she gently ran her fingers across it. He was very toned and she couldn't help but ogle at how good he looked.

"Was this an excuse to check me out?" Charon asked making her jump and look at his smirking face.

"Well..n..no but damn Charon. I didn't know your skin was beginning to grow this fast." She turned back to his chest and bent down poking it. "You probably shouldn't be scratching so hard. Skin is fragile." She leaned back and crossed her arms not taking her eyes off him.

"It itches under my armor and I'm still not used to it." He said flicking the cigarette to the side.

"Do you need new armor?" She asked looking at his face. The smirk was still there and she could feel the heat rush to her face.

"I'll get used to it." He stood up and began to re-dress.

"You should get some though. We can stop off at Rivet City on our way to Megaton." She walked back to the campsite and grabbed her bag and inspected her laser pistol before holstering it to her hip.

He adjusted the straps on his armor as he put it on and wiped off the dirt that settled on it. She flipped open her Pipboy and set a marker for Rivet City and began walking in it's direction with Charon following close behind her.


	7. Unwanted stares

Pulling the knife out of a freshly killed Centaur was one of Charon's favorite things to do. The monsters were abominations that gave his employer the heeby jeebies and the way he saw it, killing one was just as important as his contract if she didn't like them.

Normalcy, however, never seemed to come with the territory. Especially when your employer is at the blunt end of a Super sledge and a Super Mutant charges at you wielding the weapon behind him.

By the time the beast was shot down in a mess of blood and bone crunching together to form an unidentifiable being, she had bleed enough to cover her face and most of her fragile body.

Just as quickly it all happened, he was at his employers side supporting her head and picking her up before she could protest. Every sense was heightened as he tried not to jostle her too much with his running.

He could smell the metal from the sheltered ship before he could see it. He could hear the Mirelurks clipping their claws at an unknown threat miles away. The blood dripping down her face was more vibrant than any color he'd ever seen throughout his long, long life. He could feel his heart beating wild as his mind raced trying to diagnose how bad her injuries were.

She was still awake and begging him to slow down and let her think for a moment but he raced towards Rivet City because it was his job to keep her safe. He won't ever forget the contract that binds them together.

That idea weighed heavily on his mind every time she was hurt. It was like a fail safe forging its way into his memory, reminding him that she was a job to him. No matter what his heart would tell him, his mind would tell him differently and it made him uneasy.

Harkness didn't stop him as he strode passed leaving her blood trailing behind. They had been here enough times for people to stop giving him dirty looks but this time the looks were questioning. Not at the woman draped over his arms in a bloody mess but the walking behemoth himself, more importantly the new skin collecting on his cheek.

This also made him uneasy but he had someone to protect, and protection was what he did best. He didn't bother with the doctor, he was useless when it came to actual medical talent and Charon was at least trained a little bit in the matter. Satisfactory he told her many times before.

Setting her down on the bed she clung to his arm but he wasn't sure if it was because of pain or to keep him sane. As much as it pained him to see her hurt he examined the wound on her skull ignoring the protest she gave. Eventually she gave in and let him do his thing setting bandages around her head and sinking a Stimpak in her inner arm.

He wouldn't. Couldn't look at her. He just stood up and walked away from the bed taking off his armor that weighed on him heavier than ever before. He knows the look shes giving him is a worried one, needing answers on why he was acting the way he is. Of course he was never one for words and finding the courage to face her perturbed questions was harder and harder to muster as time ticked away.

She was, in fact, completely fine. Bruised ribs and a small gash was all but seeing her body thump on the ground and the blood pour down her face elicited something in him even he didn't know. This woman was a beast much like himself but they could never have been more different in this moment.

"Charon?" She inched towards him.

She was slow in her movements, the way a trainer hesitates towards a growling dog. Gently she placed her arms around his torso and hugged him from behind, pressing her cheek to his back breathing slow and heavy against him. She felt the tension leave his back even if it was just a little and she took comfort when his breathing began to match her own.

It's not perfect by any means but this affection, both here and back in the underground city where they cuddled and the stress of the wastes didn't weight down on them, both times are his answers to anything she has to ask him. She is different, so different from him. He is rough edges and gun powder with scars even he doesn't dare to look at and she, well she is down right perfect in Wasteland standards.

His chest began to itch once more and moved his hand but was caught by hers. She pushed her other hand up his shirt and rested it on his chest. Her hand was cold and the temporary chill soothed the aching itch that became a nuisance and the contact elicited a hunger he hadn't felt since outside of the wastes.

Being in an unfamiliar place and seeing as she was so weak and vulnerable, he never pushed things too far back in the underground city but now they were in Rivet City, and they were alone.

With swift motions they were undressed and exploring each other. Neither one protesting as the other made moves with sweet kisses and soft moans.

It was the first time either of them got a really good look at his skin and as she explored it she kissed each spot. Legs bared muscle as well as broken skin but where the skin grew the most was his torso. All around it, front an back and she grazed her hands over every part of him, shuddering as his own hands touched her.

She wasn't new to this despite being out of the Vault for only a short time but it didn't bother him who she had been with, just that she is his. Now and until she parts with him.

Spent and exhausted they lay together on her twin bed much like they did previous nights ago. The itching had stopped and the feeling of dread about her well being had relinquished as well. They were content for the time being, just being.

The following morning she got a check up from the Doctor just in case and then headed down to the stores that make Rivet City thrive. She made Charon try on many different things and he settled on some modified leather armor much like his own but with an extra layer of cloth, probably from a vault suit, sewed to the inside. The cloth would be perfect for the new sensitive skin and the armor was familiar to him already. After that they ordered some food and sat near the pool table up the stairs away from the prying eyes that stared at his recovering face.

He was never one for attention and although this was something he should be happy about, it all was unwanted. He would much rather be out in the wastes where things tried to kill you regardless of your looks.

They ate in silence and when she was finished they made there way back to their hotel, packed and set off into the wastes.

* * *

 **A/N: UGH. I'm sorry this chapter took forever AND it was super short. To be honest I'm having such a hard time with how I want this story to go so i'm going to try and wrap everything up in the next chapter. This is the one story that has the most favorites and reviews and I feel incredibly lucky to have even one of you like this story but it's also the one causing me the worst writers block! Hopefully I don't disappoint anyone but if I do, don't be afraid to tell me! I need all the advice I can get to become a better writer. Thank you for reading, honestly :)**


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